Patricia Jaggernauth’s journey to TV broadcasting hasn’t been straight or narrow
29 SEPTEMBER 2011
By Nerissa J. Martin
Patricia Jaggernauth has an infectious energy that comes through even over the phone. There’s no doubt her enthusiasm is part of the reason that at 29 she landed the role of Toronto news channel CP24’s newest weather specialist. But Jaggernauth admits her path to television wasn’t a straightforward one.
“I played sports in high school. I was a tomboy,” she says. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to go to university with an undecided major. I fell in love with criminal law while working as a co-op student at a family law firm.” Ultimately, however, the legal field wasn’t what she was looking for. After falling out of love with criminal law, she entered the Miss Guyana Canada pageant and discovered a new interest.
“I was the first runner up, but during the competition I found a passion for public speaking,” she says. Public speaking soon turned to acting, which turned into hosting. “It all seemed to happen unknowingly,” she says. “I just kept doing pageants, following my passion and saving money for school.”
As she came into her own in her early 20s and learned more about herself, Jaggernauth realized she could use her talent for public speaking to launch a broadcasting career. Over the past 10 years, Jaggernauth has made regular appearances on a variety of major television networks including Global TV, MuchMusic, SLICE, CTV and MTV to name a few. “You can find yourself by doing any kind of job,” she says. “Do everything… and along the way, there’s no doubt you’ll find yourself. I was a hostess, I did promotional work, did every audition, applied everywhere. It’s a kind of hustle.”
With help from others in the field, including veteran CityNews anchor Gord Martineau, she started to find her focus. And the hustle paid off when Jaggernauth was hired at CP24. But just because she’s landed an opportunity to further establish herself in TV doesn’t mean she’s settling. In fact, Jaggernauth just worked as a hostess at the Rogers Cup this past summer.
She also offers her time to various local charities such as Love in Action, an organization that unites local media and talent to put on events for charity. “I would donate my time to any event — whether it be hosting or pushing awareness on Facebook and Twitter,” she says.
But if Jaggernauth’s future plans are any indication, broadcasting is clearly her first love. “I would love to have my own talk show eventually where, as the host, I can share my personal experiences and also have expert professionals onboard to help people.”